CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2013 Ford Escape has been in the news quite a bit and for all the wrong reasons. Within a few months of its release the SUV was recalled three times, twice because of engine fires.
In July 2012, due to a fuel line that could split and leak, Ford told owners to park their cars because even driving to the dealership for repairs was deemed too dangerous. Instead, in a somewhat unprecedented move, Ford sent tow trucks to pick up the affected vehicles and handed out rental cars while the owners waited for repairs.
A few months later the Escape was recalled again because antifreeze could leak out onto the engine due to a freeze plug becoming dislodged. As the coolant hit the hot engine there was, once again, a threat for fire.
The 2013 is the first model year of the Escape's 3rd generation and proves once again that you want to avoid the first model year when at all possible.
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
8 / 61
Injuries / Deaths:
14 / 0
Average Mileage:
55,047 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
In the summer when I run the A/C we smell burning smell and the dealership that we bought it from told me to just let it catch fire and then they will look at it, and now that I'm running the heater it starts leaking oil. It smells like oil in my garage now. Sometimes while pressing on the gas pedal it doesn't go. Friday my engine coolant light came on and then went off and then came back on. I'm not sure what's going on but I want a good look at everything.
Coolant loss, engine overheating, check engine lights illuminate, vehicle shuts down-constantly replacing engine coolant-a few ounces- depending on miles driven, temp. Ford refuses to acknowledge any responsibility, but my vehicle, is only 1 month off recalls covered for exact same issues" coolant loss is never found? Ford forced customer to endure diagnostic fees on all 1.6L engines, when upon review & just a simple google search, there are oodles of customers that suffer, some who have even started fire & Ford refuses to take responsibility. Upon taking my vehicle, of course all the remedies to fix are the exact same as the ones for the 2013 Ford Escape 1.6L on the NHTSA recall info page I reviewed for the4X4 manufactured before 9/2012, I'm manufactured 10/2012? coincidence? why must consumers bare the brunt of these costly repairs & Ford ignore these issues? this happens driving all the time, street or highway, variable speeds & mostly under colder weather conditions. Ford charged me $112 pressure tested & diagnosed new degas bottle, stand pipe & fuel regulator, same as existing recall for same year, just not my month of manufacture? dealer to charge my +$1100 called Ford customer service, no help, they reference an old overheat recall not even related to coolant that should have remedied my problem from 2015" none of the coolant issues have ever been addressed on my vehicle, pls. Advise. Thank you!
Loses coolant on a regular basis. I've been to the dealership about 10 times in the past 14 months for this issue. They found a leak once but ever since then they "can't find any leaks". my vehicle is now out of warranty and they won't help me anymore but it's still an issue and was before the warranty ran out, so in my opinion it should still be covered. It's been a consistent issue since I purchased the vehicle.
Our 2013 Ford Escape sel has been stalling out while driving. Our VIN was not included in the previous recall but the symptoms ate exactly as described in 2.0 liter recall. This event happens every couple days sometimes twice a day. It tends to happen shortly after starting and merging/turning from a stop/intersection. We've taken it to a Ford dealer but they weren't able to fix it. Seems like a big safety issue to stall while driving.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. While driving various speeds, the engine coolant warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic to determine the cause of the failure. The contact called pennington Ford polaris (807 S van buren St, newton, il 62448) and was informed that the vehicle was not included in a recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact also stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 12V4310000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 99,000.
- Olney, IL, USA
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Engine is suddenly saying high temp engine stop slowly then check engine light wil come on and low coolant fluid. Been doing it on and off for a year. Takeit to Ford dealer and it will not do it for them. Fluid is full.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced a loss of engine power and the "vehicle overheating" warning indicator illuminated, while driving at 40 mph. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the coolant leaked out, which resulted in the failure. The vehicle was taken to town and country Ford nashville dealer located at 101 anderson ln, madison, tn, but the failure could not be replicated. The manufacturer was notified and transferred the contact to NHTSA. The failure mileage was approximately 128,000.
I have a 2013 Ford Escape, VIN is [xxx], I have approximately 40,000 miles on my car. In early November I had an incident that said my car was overheating and to "pull over now" I thought that was strange as I had only started driving a minute before the occurrence. I pulled over and stopped my car, about 10 minutes later it started back up without a problem, I took it to a place to have it checked out but they never found a problem. However on November 20th I had the same exact issue happen after only driving for about 30 seconds. I called Ford and they said there was no recalls and nothing they could do if they didn't see the issue themselves. I again took it to my car mechanic and the wiring harness was changed as per a recommendation from a friend he had that works for Ford. I just got my car back a few days ago and today I had the same exact issue. I did take it to a Ford dealership today however I am completely appalled that I will have to pay for this issue. My car is not even 5 years old and has had over 14 recalls.. all of which I have gotten fixed. This is a very dangerous problem and I have read several complaints from other people with 2013 Ford Escapes that have had the same problem. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Coolant is leaking into the 3rd cylinder. The service technician at the dealership believes it to be a bad engine. They want to install a new engine. This car is only 4 years old with just over 71,000 miles on it. I've contacted Ford for assistance, they will give none. This is not the first time there has been a coolant leak. About a year ago, I had my personal mechanic check the car because of a coolant leak, and found faulty heater hoses.
The vehicle continuously sputters, and then dies while in driving mode - normally pulling out into traffic. We have been almost hit numerous times. In an hour time span, yesterday, it happened 10 times, today in a 15 minute timespan, 3 times. Am an uber driver and cannot put their lives in jeopardy - going to get someone killed. This happens in all situations - whether idling in line to pull out into traffic at a light, or while driving. Has even happened while traveling down the highway. It starts to sputter, and then just shuts off. Sometimes you can place in neutral and restart, but other times, you must coast to side of street, place in park, and then try to restart. There are 100S of incidences on the internet showing the same symptoms. Please help resolve this. Going to the Ford dealership is not the answer - they tell me they cannot "duplicate" the issue and therefor do not know how to "fix" it. In the meantime, this is extremely unsafe, and a lawsuit waiting to happen. This has been occurring the entire month of December - on the 18th - 10 times in a 3 hour timespan - today, the 19th - 3 times in a 15 minute timespan. This is an everyday issue and getting work. This is preventing using this vehicle as an uber driver, and seriously impacting our income. There needs to be a recall. There is a tech service bulletin - tsb-13-12-12; NHTSA-10054363; dtc PO106, PO236.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. While driving 35 mph, the low coolant indicator illuminated, the temperature started running hot, and the service engine indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer (norris Ford, 901 merritt blvd, dundalk, md 21222) where it was diagnosed that the thermostat needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 67,855. Consumer stated this exact problem has happened another 3 times since this incident. No VIN available updated 9/4/18
My 2013 Ford Escape sel has the 1.6L V6 engine and is saying that it is over heating and giving me a P1299 code. I have replaced the thermostat it still gives me this code. I can let the car sit for several days and turn it on and it will immediately say that it is overheating. I can clear the code out of the system and drive the car for several days to a week with no problems. This issue happen with approximately 98,000 miles on the vehicle. I have researched online and the 2013 Ford Escape 1.6L engine has a recall on this issue but according to my VIN number my vehicle does not have this recall. Engine and engine cooling recall number 12V551000. I also have an issue with my vehicle hesitating. I will be driving and the rpms will bounce up and down then it will tell me there is a "transmission failure". after it sends that warning message the vehicle will run fine. I have had this issue since I have purchased the vehicle with approximately 40,000 miles on it at that time. The dealership told me there is nothing they can do about it that Ford recall it but there is no way to fix it. Again I have researched and they have a recall on this with the 2013 Ford Escapes but according to my VIN my vehicle does not have this recall. Electrical system:wiring recall number 15V813000
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the heating system failed to turn on. The contact stated that coolant was applied to the vehicle, however was empty weeks later. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, jordan Ford, ltd 13010 I-35, san antonio tx 78233 where the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 42,000. The VIN was not available.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. While attempting to accelerate from a traffic light, the accelerator pedal was depressed and the vehicle stalled. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle. The contact stated that there was an abnormal smoke odor coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to packey webb Ford (1815 w ogden avenue, downers grove, il 60515, (866) 496-6602) where it was diagnosed that the engine seized due to a defective water pump, which caused a major coolant leak. The coolant leak caused irreparable damage to the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The engine was replaced, but the failure recurred every two to three months. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 13,014.
This vehicle has presented numerous issues & most recently a continuous coolant leak or loss into the engine. Despite a water pump replacement (covered) and that is the supposed issue but then, engine light, sorry a coolant bypass valve (not covered but should be!) on a 2013 Ford Escape 1.6; how is this not part of the 2013 recall!"! I'm researching our state lemon laws so that this can be resolved since we've had more lost wages on getting this into a dealership than any valuable time driving the vehicle. I blame the manufacturer primarily but the techs aren't outstanding considering they can't put wires back into a semblance of order. Also, how tough is it to change the timing belt when replacing a water pump? I would have asked them to, if offered, & it's covered'but since the response later was 'its only a little worn' (what does that mean"!) they decided a $30 part is worth risking the job they just finished'halfway of course. Guess what, it still smells like coolant. Ford has had a dozen or more recalls & we literally can't keep this vehicle out of our savings or on the road. I'll never own a Ford as long as I can choose to have something safe for my family. Ford named it 'Escape' for a reason. Take my advice & get out of these piles of garbage asap.
A couple days ago my check engine light came on when I started my car and I found out my PCV valve needed replaced. I was reading online and I saw that there was a recall on the 2013 Ford Escapes because of coolant problems.
Engine failure light comes on and says to pull over immediately, then car shuts down. This has occured 2X randomly over the past month. The car will not start for 10 minutes after the incident. Have taken to auto shop twice with no apparent issue that can be resolved.
Driving down road, car was running fine, no engine light, or any other kind of warning light came on, all of a sudden it stalled, had vehicle towed to dealership, after diagnosis Ford dealership stated the code, the turbo waste gait celluloid needed to be replace. After replacement dealer called and stated the engine was blown! stated because of the failure of the waste gait celluloid without any kind of warning, too much air pressure went into motor causing gasket/motor failure. They quoted me $7200 for a new factory motor
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the service engine warning indicator flashed. In addition, there was a coolant and an oil leak. An independent mechanic diagnosed that there was an overboost malfunction, which needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not diagnosed by a dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and indicated that there was no warranty or recall; therefore, they provided no remedy. The approximate failure mileage was 92,000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Blue Springs, MO, USA